The Vanderveen Homeowner’s Association met for its annual open meeting at Derby Ridge Elementary School at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5. All Vanderveen residents were invited by then association president David Wilson to voice concerns and hear updates about previous issues.

(In a move long planned, Wilson stepped down after the meeting. Vice President Stephanie Sinn was named president.)

About 20 topics were brought to light during the nearly two-hour meeting. Here’s a recap of the most pressing topics:

Preschool case: The court case involving the association and Vanderveen resident Heather Linneman’s in-home preschool was one of the hottest topics of the night. Read a full story about it at the Columbia Missourian website.

Tractor trailers: Residents were concerned about excessive truck traffic on Providence Road. It’s a state road, so the association has little sway in its operation.

Possible retail store: The plot of land across from Grace Bible Church on Blue Ridge Road is rumored to be set aside for a retail store. Residents were concerned about potential traffic increases on the two-lane road. But Wilson assured them no one would get any building plans approved without participating in street improvements as well.

Pool security: Numerous complaints were heard in previous summers about neighborhood pool security. Residents complained about loud parties, drinking and coarse language. So, this past summer, the association hired Signal 88 Security to stop the problems. President and owner Matthew Nichols was at the meeting Tuesday night and received only praises about his company’s successful work.

Speeders: A group of Columbia traffic engineers conducted a study on speeding in the Vanderveen neighborhood and identified Rainforest Parkway as the major problem area. The association petitioned for a speed hump to be installed and received city funds to have it done. There are varying opinions among residents about its effectiveness.

Neighborhood watch: Board member Geoff Gunnell has been working very hard in the past year to get the Vanderveen neighborhood watch program set up. The city of Columbia organizes watch training sessions throughout the year. The next one is from 7 to 8 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Parkade Center. Gunnell said the number of trained Vanderveen residents has gone from 100 to 240 since last year and encourages everyone to get trained.

Sidewalks: Parking a car that blocks a sidewalk is illegal in Columbia. Residents that have complaints were encouraged to confront their neighbors first before alerting the authorities.

I think you all made a mistake with the information concerning truck traffic on Providence Rd. Jason Thornhill started to say Providence Rd. is a state road, but then he stated it was a city street. I also noticed last year during snow events the plowing of Providence Rd by the state ended at Big Bear just north of Vandiver. Now if all of Providence Rd. is a state road you might do a story on why the state is not treating it as such during snow events. Another part of the conversation on Providence Rd. was the fact that it will become a 4 lane road which will divide the community and become a barrier between the eastern half of Vanderveen and the rest of the Vanderveen Community. Castco’s road plans for a 4 lane road are going against the modern planning philosophies of strengthening neighborhoods and communities that are accepted across the United States. I know my comments are a little late, but if a student wrote this article it may be a good teaching moment for having the reporter verify all the facts and statements before printing them. Just my two cents worth.